Johns Hopkins Accidental Welcome Letter – Report : University mistakenly sent nearly 300 applicants welcome messages when they were actually rejected or deferred, and now the school has issued an apology.

John Hopkins, which ranks among the world’s top 20 institutions, mistakenly sent welcome emails to 294 applicants – 285 of whom had been rejected, while nine had their bids deferred.

One such hopeful applicant, Sam Stephenson, 17, from Culpeper County in Virginia was confused when an email with the subject: “Embrace the YES!” dropped into his inbox at around 3:01pm on Sunday.

Just two days before he had been rejected by John Hopkins, his mother Cathy Stephenson said.

The institution, which accepted 15 per cent of applicants this year, was alerted when a puzzled student notified its staff. The university subsequently sent an apology to those affected by the heart-breaking error, the Washington Post reported.

“The decision posted on the decision site reflects the accurate result of your Early Decision application,” the follow-up email read. “We regret this technical mistake and any confusion it may have caused.”